Trolling sinker



Dec, 11, 1951 c so 2,577,965

TROLLING SINKER I Filed June 26, 1948 INVENTOR. CLAIR L. HINKSON w wduw/ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 11, 1951 TROLLING SINKER Clair L. Hinkson,Seattle, Wash., assignor to Hinkson Mfg. 00., Seattle, Wash., apartnership Application June 26, 1948, Serial No. 35,479

4 Claims. (01. 43-4311) 1 This invention relates to a trolling sinkerfor fishing. Although such a sinker may have many uses, it is intendedprimarily, as herein illuscustomarily, heavy round sinkers of thecannon-ball type have been employed to weight down the ballast line.These cannon-ball sinkers weighed frequently as much as forty pounds ormore, and have become particularly expensive because of the increasingcost of lead. Moreover, because of their shape and weight distribution,they are frequently lost by snagging on the bottom during fishing. Beingheavy and round, these sinkers were difficult to handle, particularly inkeeping them from damaging the vessel in raising them over the side in arough sea,

and preventing them from rolling around on the deck and entanglingfishing gear and doing other damage. During trolling with a. cannon-ballsinker, any changes in speed of the vessel were reflected incorresponding changes in inclination of the ballast line, which had theundesired effect of changing depth and also the depth-wise spacing ofthe leader lines. Another characteristic of these sinkers was theirtendency to rotate in the water, twisting the ballast line andentangling the leaders by wrapping them around it.

The general object of the present invention, therefore, is to devise animproved trolling sinker which circumvents or solves these dificulties.

The invention contemplates a trolling sinker of special constructionwhich will be propelled by hydrodynamic action to a depth in the waterfar greater than that obtainable under similar trolling conditions witha cannon-ball sinker of equal weight. The large resulting saving inmetal required for the present type sinker, coupled with simplicity ofstructure, enables it to be manufactured at a cost substantially lowerthan the former type.

A particular purpose of the invention is to obtain a sinker whose weightdistribution and shape make it extremely stable in its trolling attitudein the water, so that it will not rotate and twist the trolling line ortend to plunge, rise or veer 2 from side to side unstably duringtrolling -to tangle with other lines. Moreover, changes in speed of thevessel over a wide range will have substantially no undesired efiectupon the elevation angle of the trolling line. As will be evident, thesinker, because of its shape and comparatively light weight, is easilyhandled without danger of damaging, the vessel in lifting the sinkerover the side of the vessel, or of rolling over the deck when laidthere. 7 a j Viewed broadly, the invention comprises a trolling sinkercomprising an elongated body portion terminating at its forward end inan enlarged head portion having a generally fiat surface inclinedrelative to the body portion, and a stabilizing tail portion havingstabilizing surfaces extending laterally from each side, of thebodyportion, and an upright fin surface cooperable with the stabilizingsurfaces. The laterallyextending stabilizing surfaces'are preferablyinclined forwardly and downwardly, the rearward portions thereof curvingupwardly and rearwardly rather abruptly to deflect water progressivelyupward and past the fin surface. y

The particular details of form and construction of the illustratedsinker, including various other features, objects and advantagesthereof, will become further evident from the following descriptionbased upon the accompanying drawmgs.

Figure I is a side elevation view of a fishing vessel engaged introlling according to the commercial method herein described as a basisof illustrating the present invention, showing my improved trollingsinker at the end of the ballast line.

Figure 2 is a top isometric View of my improved trolling sinker; Figure3 is a side elevation view of the sinker shown in trolling position;Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the same sinker,

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the sinker on line 5-5of Figure 3, and Figure ,6 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, ofa preferred type ofsinker connector anchored to the head portion of thesinker.

As illustrated in Figure 1, fishing is done from the trolling vessel IDby the use ofa main or ballast line 12 depending steeply from thevessel, the angle of inclination-in any given instance being determinedby the speed of the vessel and the particular characteristics of thesinker I4 attached to the end of the ballast line. The fishing lures l6are trolled at-the trailing endsof a series of branch or leader lines [8connected to the ballast line ii at successive depth locations.

" termlna'tes rather squarely (Figure 1:3).

front face inclined forwardly and downwardlyto' constitute a divingcontrol member. 'I-he -.elon gated body portion 20 is preferably ofplate form and disposed edgewise in a verticalplane, as shown best inFigures 3 aud t. Preiera'bly the body tapers slightly in thickness fromits forward end, adjoining the reariside of'lthe-genefi ally disk-likehead portion 22, toward its tail end, and from its lower edge toward itsupper edge. The vertical width of the body progressively in- }ereases msome :degree'rtoward '"the tail.

' I-he tail rend mfithe .body 20 t merges "with the fllnpliii'e 26,which latter 'may a'lso taperdnzthickheightwise. Prefera'bly .-'thercomposite body and fin secti'onof the sinker: hasiroun'ded upper nnd'lower :edges which streamline the *sinker to lessen its resistance'rtomovement through the "water. While the particulari'outline s'hape'of theoomposite body -and Eth'e fflnrsection in side 'elevation is notcriticalg thei'iorm illustrated ipreferred. shown, the rear'edge of thefin ioonstituting "the trailing end of the sinker, The "upper-edge ofthe body p'ortion'flli :preferably is formedas a reverse or ogee curve(cyma reversa) r is'ing towardthe tip of the fin: along a moderateLzcurve and then iiairing linto ithe :fintip in the -reverseeurve. 'Thelower=edge'of the body pm- Men in vicinity 'of the -tail-curvesgenerally upward to the *re'ar,:flrst along *a rather :constant sslopeand "then more sharply to merge with the "trailing terminal-edge of thefin. For purposes o"! strength, th'e' i'orwarii end of the bo'dyportion2| fairs into the-rear face o'f' the transv'ersely disposcd head'fl,forniing reinforcin'g'fillets at opsides'of the body portion. The lamas'telbiliz'ing ta'il -surface plates 14 "generally fiat forward portions'32 inclin'ed hrwardly and downwardly atan angle preferably slightlyless than the inclination of the heah sf front face 18, and rearwardlyand up- "fl'rardly curved surface portions continuing rearwar'dly fromsuch forward portions. The forward edges 'of the stabilizing plates 24amierearward of the front'end ofthesin'ker about three-fourths of itstotal length. A 20 pound sinker-o'f -'cast iron of this type has thefront edges its stabilizin'g plates eleven 'inches from its end and itstotal length is fifteen inches.

creases rapidly as the water encounters the upwardly curved rearstabilizing surface portions 34. The reaction of the water swept alongthe stabilizing surfaces, and deflected by them up- 5 wardly along thesides of the fin 26, holds the tail down, approximately as shown inFigure 3, in predetermined trolling attitude, and alsostalbilizes'thesinker directionally. The action of the stabilizersinsweepingwvater rapidly over the upstanding fin, as well as the largebroadside area -of the thin body portion 20, effectively prevents :sidemotion or darting of the sinker.

A preferred trolling line connector for the sinker comprises-ran eye 36in the sinkers vertical longitudinal"mid-plane, anchored in the upperrearward edge'of the inclined head portion 22, z-and a ringdlpassedthrough the eye. The eye 36 is formed by a U-shaped piece of wire, thesides of which are inserted through parallel holes drilled through theprojecting upper edge of the ahead 422 at the described. location, andlocked in mlace-rby bending over their rearwardly projectends :andwelding them together and tack- :welding to the rear si'cleofrtherheadportion, as

fgsindicated at 40 (Figure 6). The connecting ring :18 is formed with asmallra'dius of curvature where it passes throughwthe eye, closelyhugging the-wire forming the "eye. This snug'flt of'the ring-with theeye tends to minify any tendency =of the ring to slip too freelycircumferentially through theeye, although it" freely allows a-c'hangeinangle of the plane of theirin'g with 'relation'to .the sinker axis asthe "inclination 'of the trolling line changes when fthezsinker is-being lowered into the water. Thisrslight'degree'ofsnugness of fitbetween the connector members seems to add 'somewhat to the stability ofthe sinker in the gvater :and .makes it eisomewhat Ieasier to handlen-air.

49 The preferred fore-'and-aft .weightdistribution =.of the sinkerlocates itscenteriofigravity at "such v a point that the face :28rassumes -an angle of apwapproxiinately ten degrees with the horizontal,=whenwthe sinker :is suspendedin mid-air by its connector ring 38.rUnder normal trolling conditions-as the sinker =first plunges to'itsoperating depth "the angle of the .head is substantially greater. As:the-sinker'approaches its leveling- ;Oif point this angle diminishes,becoming-approximately 25 degrees, with therbody portion approximatelyhorizontal. Therefore, "in trolling attitude the center of gravity ofthe'sinker'is located slightly behinda verticalline passed through theconnectoreyeio. It will also'be'evident'that the principal mass of -?thesinker is largely in the disk-like head =22. The eye 36 :is located:rearwardly from thefrontend'of the sinker approxi- :m'ately one-thirdofr its length.

The combined effect of the-sloping .head and ,The bottenrsof thestabilizing-plates or blades "24 :tailsurfacesiofitheesinkerzcause itton-dive through :merge'iforwardly in'in the iower'e'dge "or 'th'e body-'and the-rear edges o! such'piates are flus'h with *rear edge or thean, as wiewed inside eleva- Mon (I"igure8-). aegain, thebestiresultshavebeen obtained with tail surfaces formedin the i1lu's-,E

0! the over-*all' length of such plate. As shown in Figure when thesinkerris .in operative atwater in the-free stmampassing beneath thelowcr'edge-of'the hcad 22 first encounters'the portions $2 of the fins2'4,:which derlect the water upwardly. *Ilhe ungle :of deflection inthe'water by zplaningziaction uuntil .Fit levels will stably fat TB,tcer'tain idepth Iletermined by "the weightianri" precise :design'oi"the?sinker, thespeed :of .the'ves'sel-and length of the trollingvline. If

"this :speed fis increased, the tendency is :for the sinkertoiplane:eventdeeper inthe water. While "the increasedsspeednlsotends tosweepthe sinker :and'trollin'gline further tothe rear of thevessel, ithiseffect "is ilargely oflsetbythe diving tendency.

Consequently, the sinker tends to maintain the trolling :linezatfasubstantially monstantzinclinaidespite :variations :in trolling:speed'of the'vessel.

If the leading lower iedge df the isinker'slhead T5 -should tend toronxob'stnictions at thebbttom during trolling, the sinker tilts up andforward by virtue of the moment created by the pull of the line aboutthe caught lower edge. The tail of the sinker simply tilts forward farenough so that it slides over the obstruction. Such elevating of thetail structure precludes the stabilizers becoming caught on the sameobstruction.

Comparative experiments with this sinker and the cannon-ball type sinkerreveal that a given trolling depth may be obtained with a sinker of thepresent type which is approximately onehalf the weight of a sinker ofthe cannon-ball type. A sinker of the disclosed type weighingapproximately twenty pounds will perform the same line weightingoperating as a cannon-ball sinker weighing substantially 40 pounds.

The sinker may be made of any heavy metal, cast iron being preferredbecause of its low cost, adaptability to casting and ruggedness. Thecast iron sinker is galvanized or painted to prevent rusting.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ballast line trolling sinker comprising an elongated, thin and deepplate-like body, an enlarged disk-like head set transversely on theforward end of said body at a forward and downward incline relative tothe general longitudinal axis of the body, a stabilizing tail havingforwardly and downwardly inclined, similar stabilizing plates projectinglaterally from opposite sides of the rear end of said body, and lineconnecting means on said sinker near the upper edge of the disk-likehead, the stabilizing plates being joined to the rear end of theplate-like body at the latters lower edge, said stabilizing plateshaving portions which are generally parallel to the disk-like head, andthe stabilizing tail having an upward continuation of the plate-likebody which extends between and above the stabilizing plates andconstitutes a stabilizing fin, the laterally projecting stabilizingplates cooperating with said stabilizing fin to depress and stabilizethe tail of the sinker during trolling.

2. The trolling sinker defined in claim 1, wherein the disk-like head isthicker than the plate-like body, and the line connecting means islocated slightly ahead of the center of gravity of the sinker in itsgenerally horizontal stabilized trolling attitude.

3. The trolling sinker defined in claim 2, wherein the inclination angleof the disk-like head is about twenty-five degrees, and the forwardlyand downwardly inclination of the stabilizing plates substantiallyincreases near their trailing edges.

4. The trolling sinker defined in claim 3, in which the stabilizingplates, stabilizing fin, platelike body and disk-like head are ofunitary castiron construction.

CLAIR L. HINKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,202,631 Winnie Oct. 24, 19161,320,304 Squarebriggs Nov. 4, 1919 1,701,444 Darr Feb. 5, 19291,801,940 Stanley Apr. 21, 1931 2,115,302 Chochard Apr. 26, 19382,115,375 Warner Apr. 26, 1938

